16 December 2004	Thursday	03 Ziqa'ad 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 15: Chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to change some central and provincial office-bearers and nominated Iqbal Zafar Jhagra as the party's new central secretary general, sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

The sources said Mr Sharif had finalized the names of the new party office-bearers and conveyed it to the PML-N chairman, Raja Zafarul Haq. They said the PML-N chairman had convened a meeting of the provincial presidents and the parliamentary leaders of the party in the National Assembly and Senate on Friday to formally announce the names of new office-bearers.

They said the present secretary-general Saranjam Zamindar was being replaced because a large number of party leaders were of the view that he would not be effective in the forthcoming anti-government protest drive.

There is also a perception that Mr Zamindar was being changed as the party's high command was not happy with his decision to agree to the PPP's proposal regarding change in the venue of the first ARD rally from Peshawar to Batkhela on December 6.

It may be mentioned that the PML-N acting parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, had expressed his displeasure over the decision of the PPP to change the venue of the public meeting without taking the party's leadership into confidence.

Later, PPP secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf disclosed that the venue was changed in a meeting in which PML-N secretary general Saranjam Zamindar was present.